Her Furnace
by HamPickleSandwich
Summary: 7/9 PG fluff. Oneshot. It's the middle of the night and below freezing.. Shane Acker owns 9, not me.


Ok, so I woke up at 2:30 or something this morning and I was absolutely FREEZING! So my thoughts naturally turned to 9 and this little 7/9 ficlet popped up. Hope you like! (Owns nothing!)

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7 twisted and turned in her sleep as the recurring nightmare caught her in its web. Every night for about a week now, 7 found herself in a world of ice with 3 and 4. Everything would be fine, until the Cat Skull Monster would show up, batting 3 and 4 into an ice cave. Of course, 7 would be completely ignored, or at least she was never attacked by the monster. Instead, it would watch mercilessly, taunting her as 7 would try to stay on her feet for more than three seconds. The ice was too slippery, and the cold burned her feet- all the while, the opening to the cave would freeze over, leaving 3 and 4 to slowly suffocate. Every time she woke up, it would be morning- but not tonight.

"NO!" 7 cried out, sitting bolt upright. Her chest flew up and down with her panicked breathing, and she shivered. It was freezing!! How on Earth had she not noticed this before? She got out of bed, gasping as she felt the stone cold floor. She draped her blanket over her shoulders, leaving the (surprisingly undisturbed) twins to sleep. There was a little furnace in the workshop which belonged to 2 and 5- surely there was no problem in using it? She smiled at her plan, listening to her footsteps on the stone cold floor- the only noise in the cathedral. Following the passageways, she thought about the three that resided in the workshop. 9 had set up minor lodgings in the workshop with 5 and 2, as a sign that he didn't want to intrude. 5 and 2 didn't mind the extra company, it seemed. Suddenly, her reverie was interrupted. The workshop was right there, and 9 was staring at her, holding his light staff so that not much light emerged. She felt trapped- she had been caught.

"7?" he asked. Obviously he had planned to be alone as well.

"I-I just wanted to use the furnace." 7 admitted, shivering again. 9 smiled, approaching her.

"Put your hands on the light bulb." he told her, whispering in the silence of the night. 7 held out one hand, the other keeping the blanket over her shoulders. The bulb was hot, but the warmth did not spread any further than her fingers. She sighed, drawing her hand back. However, she noticed something as her hand brushed 9's arm. Quite out of nowhere, she put her hands on his face.

"What are you-?"

"Shh. You're warm." 7 told him, staring at him directly in the optics. Her fingers got the burning sensation of sudden temperature change, but she kept them there all the same.

"7, I-!" 9 was cut off again, but this time it was because 7 starting dragging him, further away from the workshop. He was warm all over, and they were just friends- so why not?

"You're going to be my furnace." she muttered, tugging him back in the direction of her room. 9, who was still confused at what she meant, did not protest. It was a bit of a mischievous plan, but 7 was frozen. There was flawless reasoning behind it, even if they did think a little less of the pair from now on. 7 turned around once they were outside the room which she and the twins shared, taking 9's light staff from him. She leaned it on the wall outside the doorway, before ushering 9 towards her bed. His audible gasp nearly made her laugh, but her lips quivered instead.

"No hanky panky, I promise." she muttered as she pushed 9 onto the soft bed. He swallowed.

"What... what do you want me here for, then?" he asked, quietly. 7 made a face.

"You're going to be my furnace tonight." she said simply, before pushing 9 towards the centre of the bed- so there was enough room for her to fit. She threw the blanket over them both, before adding one extra (which was wadded up behind the bed) as an afterthought. She then gave 9 one of her pillows (found in a decrepit dolls house, the pillows remained surprisingly unharmed), before moving up close to 9. He jumped at the sudden cold that was 7's form, before shuddering into a relaxed state. She pushed off her helmet, turning to put it on the floor so that they weren't positioned too awkwardly, and moved in as close as possible. Now understanding, 9 stretched his arms around her, warming her arms up as he rubbed them. The friction helped a little, before 7 found herself falling into subconsciousness once more. 9 smiled before yawning, succumbing to sleep.

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Needless to say, 7 did not get a replay of the nightmare that night. Instead, she floated through a pleasant, dreamless sleep, before she found herself practically swaddled within her blankets. The morning light shone into the room, arousing her from her slumber. She rubbed her optics before she found that she was alone in the bed. She looked at the pillow- which was still indented from 9's sleeping there- and curiously picked up the torn paper which lay there instead.

_7,  
You know 5 would never let us live this down.  
Love, 9._


End file.
